Grow lights are an excellent solution for plants that are lacking sufficient natural light in your home. They offer the opportunity to create an indoor oasis, since you're no longer limited by how many plants you can fit by your window. Grow lights can even help kickstart the growing season by allowing you to start seeds indoors.
In addition to providing essential care for your plants, indoor grow lights offer a bonus for your home: ambiance. Adding these types of lights to your home can help create a cozy and relaxing atmosphere in any room. "They come in a variety of styles, including portable lights, LED strips, desk lamps, and projectors, and can be set to a wide range of colors and brightness levels," says Robert Silver, a master gardener. Many of today's indoor grow lights can be controlled through smartphone apps or voice commands, making it easy to customize your lighting to suit your plant's needs, he says.
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Types of Grow Lights for Indoor Plants
When it comes to grow lights, there are several options to choose from, says Virginia Hayes,indoor plant pro and retail showroom manager atWesterlay Orchids.
- LED: These lights are energy-efficient and have a low heat output.
- Incandescent: These lights have a high amount of heat, which uses more energy.
- Fluorescent: These lights come in a variety of forms and produce a full spectrum of light for plants.
- HID (also known as high-intensity discharge): Compared to other grow lights, this option is superior at simulating natural light.
Here are some of the top recommended grow lights for indoor plants, straight from the pros.
- Robert Silver, master gardener
- Virginia Hayes,indoor plant pro and retail showroom manager atWesterlay Orchids
- Alex Tinsman, gardener with How To Houseplant
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Philips Hue Go
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This portable light is a great option for anyone who wants a versatile indoor grow light, says Silver. The Hue Go comes with a wide range of color options that includes warm, cool, and vibrant options. "You can control the Hue Go with a smartphone app or voice commands through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, making it easy to customize your lighting on the go," he says.
This light also runs on battery with a sustained life of three hours, which means it has even more versatility, since you're not limited to areas with electric outlets.
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Barrina Full-Spectrum LED Grow Lights (6-Pack)
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Alex Tinsman, gardener with How To Houseplant, suggests this versatile full-spectrum option that mimics natural sunlight and allows you to connect up to eight lights to maximize your growing experience. "The plug-and-play design makes linking them from end to end easy, with efficiency tools included," he says. You can set an auto timer or manually monitor your plant growth. This light is great for starting seeds or caring for mature plants and casts a warm yellow glow with a 2-foot radius.
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Lordem LED Desk Grow Light
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This compact grow light is ideal for use on tables and desks for your tabletop potted plants. And just because it's compact doesn't mean the light is small—this lamp still boasts a 6.3-inch, 72 LED full spectrum plant light. There are four dimmable settings to achieve the brightness your plant needs, as well as the ability to adjust the height of the lamp and an auto on/off timer.
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GYTF Halo Plant Grow Light
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A great budget-friendly option, this grow light comes equipped with six red, six blue, and 36 white LED beads to mimic bright, full-spectrum sunlight. It's also adjustable and rotates 180 degrees to easily customize the angle at which your plants receive light.
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Jump Start LED Grow Light Stand
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This kit offers a full 2 feet of growing space for plants, and a 24-watt grow bulb that can be adjusted as they grow. The basic but effective stand and fulcrum can be lowered to reach seedlings or raised once your plants get bigger, making it perfect for winter sowing, says Tinsman.
The timer allows you to set a 12-hours-on-12-hours-off schedule or switch it up with an 18-6 option. The full-spectrum lighting creates a pleasant glow that you—and your plants—will love.
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Feit Electric Adjustable Spectrum Linkable Plant Grow Light Fixture
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When looking for indoor grow lights, Tinsman says some of the key features to consider are connectivity, power, light spectrum, adjustability, and style, which is why he likes this option by Feit. This 32-watt LED fixture allows users to adjust the lighting to fit all stages of growth, from seedling to blooms. Each light covers a 2-square-foot radius, and you can connect up to five fixtures at a time. Thanks to the LED technology, you'll use less energy, even when running multiple units.
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Soltech Aspect White LED Grow Light
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This stylish option offers easy installation and multiple colors and sizes, says Tinsman. The pendant light has a canister design that is perfect for targeting a single plant with its 40-watt bulb that has a color rendering index value of 97. A 15-foot cord gives you the flexibility to hang it in a variety of places.
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Dommia Full-Spectrum LED Grow Lights
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If you're planning to put your grow lights on a bookshelf, you can't go wrong with this ultra-thin panel, says Hayes. The full-spectrum and energy-efficient fixture comes outfitted with 132 LED bulbs that emit all wavelengths from 380nm to 780nm, similar to natural sunshine. It generates less heat than other types of grow lights, so you can place it closer to plants, and it lasts an estimated 50,000 hours.
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Feel Show Full-Spectrum Plant Light
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Hayes recommends this tripod setup due to its simplicity. The stand has four arms, each outfitted with 16 white and four red fluorescent lights. In addition to an adjustable timer (you'll be able to select the brightness and independently control each of the four arms with three different time options), the stand also adjusts to suit smaller and larger foliage—all while keeping a smaller footprint in your home.
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Goto Direct GooingTop LED Grow Light
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You don't need a lot of space to set up an indoor growing area when you use this desktop fixture. The full-spectrum lights sit on two gooseneck handles that attach to a simple clamp, making it easy to attach to a desk, table, or countertop. There is an automatic timer that controls the LED lights. Each bar consists of 10 red and 74 white LEDs.
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Lordem Gull-Spectrum LED Grow Light
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This artistic option offers a halo of warm white LED light that is perfect for gardening enthusiasts who are short on space. Three different timer settings and four different dimmable options ensure the brightness is tailored to whatever plant you have underneath it.
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LBW Full-Spectrum Glow Light With Stand
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Another tripod design, this LED light fixture—which comes with 12 red, four blue, 16 warm white, and 16 cold white bulbs—has a single light panel that directs a rectangle of light onto the plants below. Best used for single large plants, the adjustable tripod can be raised or lowered to ensure your plant is getting the perfect amount of light.
